Capital

The U.S. life insurance industry--which includes companies that provide annuity -based products--has stabilized somewhat during 2009. Conning Research predicts net after tax statutory income of $16 billion in 2009. This is despite $20 billion in capital losses for the industry in 2009. Annuities were the most painful and volatile segement for insurers, producing a $4 billion loss in the combined 2008 - 2009 period. Much of this came from losses on living benefit guarantees associated with...

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the renewed focus on conservative and rather boring investment options among the wealth management community. In the wake of extreme capital market volatility during the past couple of years, wealth managers have returned to basics in their discussions with current and prospective clients. Among the more mundane options that are frequently discussed are: Annuities, and in particular fixed annuities. Bank deposits. Dividend paying stocks. Face to...

Although mentioned previously , it is worth noting again that Moshe Milevsky is the most active, creative and interesting voice in the asset decumulation industry. Moshe produces copious amounts of outstanding materials that shed light on the world of annuities for both professional and consumer audiences. A recent interview in The Journal of Financial Planning is highly recommended. Moshe is working on a soon to be released book on lifecycle investing . In the Journal of Financial Planning...